Container

ABSTRACT

A container including a main body or platform base having a product-receiving platform including recesses formed therein is bonded to a bottom or backing. Outwardly extending projections are formed within said platform base. A top having slots is positioned within the platform base and cooperates with projections to hinge the top to the platform base.

Write States Atdlltfi tent [1 1 Sept. 18, 1973 CONTAINER [76] Inventor: Gerald J. Ardito, 29 Meadow Rd.,

Old Westbury, NY.

22 Filed: Mar. 1,1971

21 Appl.No.:ll9,797

3,532,247 10/1970 Bridges 206/4 X 3,612,335 10/1971 Schurrnan 220/16 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 32,112 10/1964 Germany 206/72 Primary Examiner-Herbert F. Ross Assistant Examiner-Jarnes R. Garrett Attorney-Mam & Jangarathis [5 7] ABSTRACT A container including a main body or platform base having a product-receiving platform including recesses formed therein is bonded to a bottom or backing. Out- [56] References Cited wardly extending projections are formed within said UNITED STATES PATENTS platform base. A top having slots is positioned within 2,717,717 9/1955 Busch 220/31 S X the platform base and cooperates: with projections to 3,315,718 4/1967 Berman 220/16 X hinge h top to the l tf base 3,339,781 9/1967 Schurman et a1 220/16 X 3,356,462 12/1967 Cooke et a1. 206/72 X 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 24 r- F Z2 PATENTEDSEPI 8 I973 SHEET 1 BF 2 INVENTOR.

Gerulid J. Ardito Fig. 3.

ATTORNEYS PATENTEDSEPi Slim SHEET 2 Di 2 Fig. 4.

INVENTOR.

Gerald J. Ardim filer/ma ATTORNEYS CONTAINER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved container formed from a sheet or strip of thermoplastic materials. More particularly, it relates to a container assembly comprised of a platform base having a productreceiving platform including recesses, a bottom or backing and a cover which fits within the platform base to enclose hingeably the product-receiving platform of the container.

In prior art containers for products, such as notions and the like, a display insert or platform having recesses formed therein were inserted into a container or receptacle having a base and side walls. The configuration of the display insert or platform presented many problems including apparatus for reliably placing the insert or platform into a container. In many instances the insert or platform was loosely positioned within the container thereby having a tendency to inadvertently fall out. In other instances, the insert would bulge which together with the positioned products prevented proper closing of the container cover. In other containers, the product was placed in the insert and subsequently introduced into an open end of a container having the other end folded in closed configuration which would unfold the closed end during automatic packaging by contact of the insert with an end closure flap.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of my invention to provide a novel container assembly formed with a product-receiving recess.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel container assembly having a platform base formed with a product receiving recess.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel container assembly having a platform base formed with means to received hingeably a cover therefor.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel container assembly having a platform base formed with a product-receiving recess, a bottom or backing and a top hingeably received by the platform base.

These and other objects of my invention are accomplished by providing a container assembly comprised of a base formed with a product-receiving platform including recesses, and side walls. The base is bonded to a bottom or backing, such as by a pressure sensitive material, at the juncture of the lower portion of the side walls of the base with the bottom. The inner productreceiving platform of the base may be formed with projections which cooperate with slots in a cover to permit the cover to pivot hingeably about the axis thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages of this improved container assembly will become apparent upon consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout.

FIG. 1 is a top elevational view of the container assembly comprised of the platform base and a partial cut-away portion of the cover therefor;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the container assembly including the bottom thereof taken along the lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container assembly along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container assembly similar to that of FIG. 3 illustrating the cover in a partially opened position; and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the container assembly.

Referring now to the FIGS. 1 to 5 of the drawings, there is provided a container assembly, generally indicated as 10, comprised of a platform base 12 and a bottom or backing 14. The container assembly 10 may be provided with a cover 16 depending on the intended used thereof. The platform base 12 is formed in a thermo-forming operation, such as disclosed in my copending application (P/2l07B), in which a web or sheet of thermoplastic material is first softened by heat and then formed or shaped while in a strechable plastic state by being drawn or pressed against the contours of a mold or die under the influence of a fluid pressure differential. The platform base 12 is comprised of a productreceiving platform 18 having a plurality of display recesses, generally indicated as A, B, C and D, front wall 20, back wall 22, and side walls 24 and 26. The platform base 12 is mounted such as by a pressure-sensitive medium to a flat strip of material 27 at the juncture thereof with the upturned lower edges of the front wall 20, back wall 22, and side walls 24 and 26, as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

An important aspect of my invention is that the platform base 112 not only forms a part of the exterior portion of the container assembly 10, i.e., walls 20, 22, 24 and 26, but also constitutes the interior productreceiving platform 18 including product-receiving recesses A, B, C and D.

The top of the walls 20, 22, 24 and 26 of the platform base 12 are contiguous with downwardly extending interior side walls 28, 30, 32 and 34, respectively, extending to the product receiving platform 18. In juxtaposition to the rear interior side wall .38 and co-extensive therewith, there is formed a recessed portion 36 within the product-receiving platform 18% which functions to permit the top 16 to pivot therein to open and close the container assembly 10, as more fully hereinafter disclosed. inwardly extending projections 38 are provided on interior side walls 32 and 34 of the platform base 12 in co-axial alignment with the centerline of recessed portion 36.

The cover 16 of the container assembly 10 is formed with downwardly extending side walls which rest on the product-receiving platform 18 of the platform base 12 when the cover 16 is in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 3. The side walls of the top 16 in juxtaposition with side walls 32 and 34 of the plat-form base 12 are provided with inwardly extending; slots 40 which receive the projections 38 of the side walls 32 and 34, re-

product-receiving recesses thereby minimizing breakage not withstanding unordinarily severe handling of a shipping carton having a plurality of such container assemblies packed therein.

While the invention has been described with reference to a rectangularly-shaped container assembly, it will be understood that the container may be formed in other shapes, e.g., oval, elliptical, polygon, etc. It is understood that for oval and elliptically-shaped container assemblies, the cover may or may not be hinged depending on the design of the platform base with regard to the intended use. Additionally, for certain applications the cover may be eliminated whereas in other applications the backing may be eliminated but a cover included.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in view of the above teachings and, therefore, within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practised other than as particularly describedv What is claimed is:

l. A container assembly comprising:

an integral body including a front outer wall, a rear outer wall and side outer walls extending from lower terminal portions thereof to upper terminal portions thereof, said body including a front inner wall section, a rear inner wall section, and side inner wall sections extending contiguously from the upper terminal protions of said front, rear and side outer walls in inwardly spaced relationship thereto and downwardly to a product receiving platform including at least one product-receiving recess formed therein, said platform extending across said body between said inner wall sections;

a bottom affixed to the lower terminal portions of said outer walls of said body, said bottom being spaced beneath said platform and any recess therein; and

a cover including a top and a front wall, a rear wall and side walls depending downwardly therefrom, said cover being positioned within said body with said front wall, rear wall and side walls being juxtaposed to said respective inner wall sections of said body with the lower edges of said side walls of said cover being disposed on said platform.

2., The container assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein a portion of said platform adjacent said rear inner wall section is recessed below the base level of said platform and wherein said side walls of said cover and said side inner wall section of said body are provided with hinged means to permit said cover to pivot within said body whereby said rear wall of said cover extends into the recessed portion of said platform. 

1. A container assembly comprising: an integral body including a front outer wall, a rear outer wall and side outer walls extending from lower terminal portions thereof to upper terminal portions thereof, said body including a front inner wall section, a rear inner wall section, and side inner wall sections extending contiguously from the upper terminal protions of said front, rear and side outer walls in inwardly spaced relationship thereto and downwardly to a product receiving platform including at least one productreceiving recess formed therein, said platform extending across said body between said inner wall sections; a bottom affixed to the lower terminal portions of said outer walls of said body, said bottom being spaced beneath said platform and any recess therein; and a cover including a top and a front wall, a rear wall and side walls depending downwardly therefrom, said cover being positioned within said body with said front wall, rear wall and side walls being juxtaposed to said respective inner wall sections of said body with the lower edges of said side walls of said cover being disposed on said platform.
 2. The container assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein a portion of said platform adjacent said rear inner wall section is recessed below the base level of said platform and wherein said side walls of said cover and said side inner wall section of said body are provided with hinged means to permit said cover to pivot within said body whereby said rear wall of said cover extends into the recessed portion of said platform. 